Name: Lauren Sullivan's review of Sapphire Flames by Ilona Andrews
Item: Sapphire Flames
Rating: 5
Author: Lauren Sullivan

Ilona Andrews

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews comes an enthralling new trilogy set in the Hidden Legacy world, where magic means power, and family bloodlines are the new currency of society… In a world where magic is the key to power and wealth, Catalina Baylor is a Prime, the highest rank of magic user, and the Head of her House. Catalina has always been afraid to use her unique powers, but when her friend’s mother and sister are murdered, Catalina risks her reputation and safety to unravel the mystery. But behind the scenes powerful forces are at work, and one of them is Alessandro Sagredo, the Italian Prime who was once Catalina’s teenage crush. Dangerous and unpredictable, Alessandro’s true motives are unclear, but he’s drawn to Catalina like a moth to a flame. To help her friend, Catalina must test the limits of her extraordinary powers, but doing so may cost her both her House–and her heart.

A Hidden Legacy Novel

Sapphire Flames

Lauren Sullivan

i didn’t know if i wanted to continue reading this series once i realized that the series moves from nevada to catalina, but im in a reading slump and it was available from my library, so i figured ok lets try it. and surprisingly, i really enjoyed it. i enjoyed the angst. i enjoyed the fast paced action and the humor. i enjoyed alessandro way more than i originally thought. it was fast paced. the side characters are getting stronger too. alessandro is no rogan, but he is still a solid MMC. 

big ab

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrew comes an enthralling new trilogy set in the Hidden Legacy world, where magic means power, and family bloodlines are the new currency of society… In a world where magic is the key to power and wealth, Catalina Baylor is a Prime, the highest rank of magic user, and the Head of her House. Catalina has always been afraid to use her unique powers, but when her friend’s mother and sister are murdered, Catalina risks her reputation and safety to unravel the mystery. But behind the scenes powerful forces are at work, and one of them is Alessandro Sagredo, the Italian Prime who was once Catalina’s teenage crush. Dangerous and unpredictable, Alessandro’s true motives are unclear, but he’s drawn to Catalina like a moth to a flame. To help her friend, Catalina must test the limits of her extraordinary powers, but doing so may cost her both her House–and her heart.

Lover of Romance 

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance

  
    
  




Sapphire Flames is a book that has been on my list for quite a while and I even had a print copy on my shelf since it was first published in 2019 and yeah I know ....I KNOW it has taken me so long to get this book read but I finally did it and it was the audio version of this book. I have had a hard time wanting to pick up a mass market paperback to be honest, I am spoiled by my kindle. BUT I saw this available on my library database and it was the kick in the pants that I need to finally grab this one up here. And I had a blast with this book, I am not sure if it was just the story itself or if it was the talent of the narrator, but I just had so much fun with this story here. 



Sapphire Flames is a story that begins with the second sister in the family, Catalina. She is the middle sister that is highly overlooked by society in many ways. Her older sister Nevada, is the one that shocked and delighted everyone. But Catalina, isn't viewed as considerable. But now she is the head of the house and responsible for their welfare. With the help of her future love interest.....Alessandro, she is drawn towards a new case in the hunt for the killer of a mother of three kids who have all become orphans but now they want justice. Catalina wants to be able to do this on her own, but Alessandro keeps getting involved and Catalina doesn't know if she is grateful or wanting him to leave her alone. Even though Catalina has had a crush on him for years, she knows he would never feel the same way about her. But there is a chemistry between them, one that she feels with every moment they are together. But what goes from a simple mission of finding a killer builds into a journey that Catalina never expected and the sacrifice she will make for those that she loves will cost her dearly in the end....



Sapphire Flames was a story that stunned me in its most simplest of ways and I never know what to expect from this duo author pair, I love what they deliver together and Sapphire Flames is a story that stunned me in many moments. I couldn't get enough of seeing Alessandro and Catalina together. Those moments when the tension rises between them is beautiful and captivating, I was almost holding my breath every single time you saw these romantic moments that built their relationship. I am definitely intrigued to see where Ilona Andrews will build their relationship. 



The characters that are built within this story are fascinating and I loved seeing the Baylor family come to the surface once again. It feels like forever since I have seen this fun family group and all their unique personalities just fit together despite their unique quirks and abilities. I love the closeness of this family unit but at the same time I admired seeing their differences come to the surface. We don't see much of Nevada in this one but I have a feeling we will see much more of her in "Emerald Blaze" and I am definitely wondering how that will change the dynamics. I will say that after seeing Catalina in action and seeing more depths to her character, I think I am loving her more than Nevada. There is something so different about her, aspects that I relate to better. I find that she is more sensitive and relatable in many ways. She can kick booty and her special abilities of her own, but she also has these sweet vulnerabilities that I was so drawn to. Alessandro was a delectable hero, I loved how well he pairs with Catalina. He seems to never be put off by her resistance to him, he sees the humor in every situation and I love his flair for the dramatics at times, he tends to balance out the serious personality that is Catalina. 



The plot of the story is action packed and I never knew what was around the corner of the story. This is a talent that this duo writing team excels at and anyone that has read them will understand exactly what I mean by that! They are a powerhouse together and I have to admit I fell in love with this story and the way they build up certain elements to draw the reader within the story in a way that is unique to their writing alone. I find the worldbuilding in the story to be stunning, there are so many depths to this world and I find being more and more intrigued with each book I read within it. There is a depth of magic and societal organization that will fascinate its reader and so intriguing the political dynamics that are displayed here. My only disappointment that I found with this story is that there is a cliffhanger. Yep you heard that right. Which was to be expected, but you can trust that I will be grabbing up Emerald Blaze very quickly here. I gotta find out what happens after such a breathtaking ending these authors delivered on. 



Overall I found Sapphire Flames to be a stunning depiction of the journey of Catalina and Alessandro, their road isn't going to be an easy one, but in this story we see the depths, the magical wit, the unique senses of creativity that is portrayed and the intensity that is bound to keep the reader on edge all the way through and will never disappoint.....a gravitating romance!

Annabella

7/2020 reread : I... read this in two days. For the third time. I wanna smack myself
***
  Alessandro studied me. “When I first met you, I thought you were a shy, innocent, honest girl who was overwhelmed by her sudden rise. But you’re not, are you?”
Not anymore.
“You’re smart, ruthless, and calculating. Conniving even.”
Conniving was going too far.
He flashed a grin, a quick baring of teeth. “I love it.”  


IA got me again, and with my favourite thing ever trope- wise. GIMME MOREEE (Also, they got Italin cursing right; bless them)

That epilogue hurts worse nowing what happens afterwards

Sarah Escorsa

➽ 
  And the moral of this reread is
: sorry not sorry but I still think this reads like Rogan & Nevada, The Angtsy YA Edition. 



➽ 
  And the other moralssss of this reread are
: Alessandro is a giant ass clown of the first order and needs to be taken down approximately 150,000 notches, I want to be Grandma Frida when I grow old up, Bug and Bern need to hook up post haste, if Catalina says "I can't even" one more time I'm unleashing the murderous crustaceans on the whole planet, the Cuddly Beast of Cologne should be the star of this show, and I'm still waiting for the Zeus spin-off series. That is all. For now.

P.S. No, I still haven't read Emerald Blaze. Because I'm Super Extra Brave (SEB™) like that.



[May 2019]

Soooooo, because of my most abhorrent rating for this book, I find my little nefarious self writing this thing from the deepest depths of IA Hell. My life has been naught but excruciating pain courtesy at the vicious hands of the Super Extra Yummy barbarously ruthless Butcher of Merida for the past few weeks, and I would love nothing more than to be relentlessly chastised by him forever and ever and ever and stuff escape from this abyss of agony post haste. It does look excellent not look good for me, yay and stuff unfortunately, so I thought I might as well keep digging my own grave by exposing my shamefully reprehensible thoughts about this story. Here goes and stuff.

So. YES Sapphire Flames is entertaining and fast-paced and full of IA Scrumptiousness, BUT:

① It feels like Nevada and Rogan Lite.
There, I said it. As much as it pains me to admit it, there are way too many situations/scenes/pieces of dialogues/whatever in Sapphire Flames that read like carbon copies of situations/scenes/pieces of dialogues/whatever from the first three books in the series. I might not have minded this, had the leads been as charismatic as Nevada and Rogan my beloved husband, but they aren’t, so I did. Catalina comes across as a pale imitation of her sister, and Alessandro’s overbearing arrogance is exasperating. Drinking up Dealing with the Scourge of Mexico’s deliciously smug, 30-something ass is one thing, but having to put with a shallow, barely-out-of-his-teens lad’s self-complacency is something else entirely. Which might perhaps maybe explain why I felt the urge to slap some humility into the dude whenever he made an appearance and stuff.



Yeah, that works, too.

② The leads are revoltingly young.
Because yes, I am one of those despicable human crustacean beings who can’t stand don’t like silly new adults very mucho. Granted, Catalina and Alessandro are not that bad compared to other disgustingly juvenile MCs I’ve come across (view spoiler)[
  well maybe One Dimensional Alessandro (ODA™) is, but don’t tell anyone I said so and stuff
 (hide spoiler)], but they’re still too annoyingly youthful for my taste and stuff. 

Also, the whole coming of age business was never my thing (comes with being a despicable crustacean and stuff). Yes, Catalina might maybe perhaps become a seasoned, self-confident badass twenty ten years from now, but right now she’s just a way-too-sweet-and-tender for me, insecure kid who’s learning the ropes, and that’s not something I’m interested in reading about, to be disgustingly honest. (Please feel free to sue me and stuff.)

③ The romance.
[Please insert pre-emptive shudders here]
Yes, there was romance in Nevada and Rogan’s books, but it was packed with tension, hilarious dialogues, and enough chemistry to blow my Mariana Trench abode (and the murderous troops it is home to) to tiny little nefarious pieces. In Sapphire Flames, the romance-heavy storyline felt just too YA for me. Not to mention it felt off. I just don’t understand what the attraction is. It seems to be nothing more than a teenage crush, complete with Love at First Sight of Doom and Oblivion (LaFSoDaO ™). Yes, I know that most of you People of Despicable Book Taste (PoDBT ™) 💕 lurve 💕 that kind of repulsive stuff (view spoiler)[
  

  

  
  

  

 (hide spoiler)], but I don’t, so I don’t.

④ No Grandma Frida/Augustine hook-up. 
This is totally unacceptable. Absolutely outrageous. Completely barbaric. Properly scandalous. And a total rip off, if you ask me. I demand an explanation post haste and stuff.



Okay, now time to add a BUT to my initial BUT (which kinda negates the BUT, if you think about it and stuff). So. No, I am not a fan of this story (as you might maybe perhaps have grasped from the previous paragraphs), BUT:

① It was written by IA, which makes it instantly very much slightly better than 99% of the crap stuff out there. (That’s immutable law of the universe #1, just so you know.) Also: this is one of the bestest, mostest coolest and originalest magic systems that ever was and ever will be and stuff. So QED and stuff.

② It features one of the mostest gloriousest cast of secondary characters in the history of mostest gloriousest cast of secondary characters: Grandma Frida, Leon, Bug, Augustine, Arabella, Runa, Matilda, Zeus, Cornelius and his Super Extra Yummy Menagerie (ZEYM™), Bern…They all deserve their own spin-off, if you ask me. Especially Zeus.

③ Random yet Delicious IA stuff (RyDIAS™): leaping desiccated corpses who try to rip one’s hair out (yay!), carnifexes, flying scorpion tricks, people being dismembered (woo hoo and stuff), lovely beasts and yummy creatures, vomit muffins, Celia (aka the cutest, friendliest chick ever), and last but not least, chainsaws and shotguns and gladii, oh my! 



➽ Nefarious Last Words (NLW™): the most ungrateful, unworthy, undeserving IA fanshrimpgirl I am, and atone for my most repugnant reading taste I shall. For all of eternity and beyond and stuff. Maybe.

(view spoiler)[
  
 (hide spoiler)]

P.S. I want to be Prime Venenata when I grow up. You’re welcome.

ARC provided by the Most Awesome Authorlords™ and Avon via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

· Book 1: Burn for Me ★★★★★
· Book 2: White Hot ★★★★★
· Book 3: Wildfire ★★★★★
· Book 3.5: Diamond Fire ★★★★
· Book 5: Emerald Blaze ★★★
· Book 6: Ruby Fever - to be released 2022



[Pre-review nonsense]

Pretty sure I’m going straight to IA Hell for giving this book such an abysmally low rating. 



But hey, at least I'll have central heating for all of eternity, so I guess I can't complain.

➽ Full Yeah Yeah Yeah I Know I Read It Very Wrong Indeed But There You Have It and Stuff (YYYIKIRIVWIBTYHIAS™) review to come. 



[May 1, 2019]

Chapter 2 is here!!!!





[April 18, 2019]

The complete entire whole first chapter is can be read here in its entire entirety and stuff!!!!





[March 20, 2019]

It's deleted scene time!!





[February 13, 2019]

A cover, new 
  snippet
, new webpage, oh my!! 





[January 31, 2019]

My my what big shifty lying eyes these are tiny snippet this is!





[January 9, 2019]

Pithivier, anyone? Happy New Year Snippet and stuff!



[December 19, 2018]

And a very snipetty morning to you!!!
  “When I got my hands on him, I would pry his mind open like a tin can. And then I would make him do a little dance, record it, and play it for him on a loop after I drained my magic off. Irresistible. I’ll show you irresistible. Just you wait.”




[December 3, 2018]

Time for a new Snippety Snippet!!!!! 



[November 19, 2018]

It's Holy Shrimping Snippet (HSS™) time!!!!!!!!!!!! And my future girlfriend (when she grows up a little and gets to be as ancient as I am) Runa the Delicious Magus Venenata is in it!!!! I am not excited at all!!!!!!





[November 7, 2018]

We have a title!!!!!!!!!!!!





[October 23, 2018]

A deleted scene from the book can be read here. I am absolutely not excited about it whatsoever. Of course not. I ain't no slightly immature 13-year-old fangirl on crack, thank you very much. Oh no, not me.



P.S. (view spoiler)[
  

  

  
 (hide spoiler)]



[April 24, 2018]


  Coming
 to a bookstore near you it is. You'll just have to wait a WHOLE BLOODY STINKING YEAR for it, that is all. But hey, we had to wait THREE WHOLE BLOODY STINKING YEARS between Burn for Me and White Hot, so we can totally do this. No biggie and stuff.



Also:

Wow. I had some predictions going in to the book (based on Nevada's trilogy and the three chapter sample), and while some were correct, Grandma Frida drove one of her tanks over the rest of my expectations. The last chunk of the book had me biting my nails, and there's new plot threads that I cannot wait to see where they lead. That's pretty much all I can really say without going into mad spoilers!

As for the characters, Catalina is AMAZING, Alessandro is a badass, and Grandma Frida continues to rock. Lots of cameos from old friends (including one "close family friend"😯 !!!) and enemies. Catalina has spent the years between Diamond Fire and the start of this book coming to terms with the realization that she'll be the head of House Baylor, and it's formed her into a very different person than Nevada, despite both holding true to the Baylor family values. She doesn't make the same mistakes as Nevada, but she's still young, though she has her family's support (yes, there's another amazing Baylor family dinner scene).

Also... I think I like Alessandro more than Mad Rogan, which is saying a LOT.

Basically, IA have outdone themselves AGAIN. Full review to come in August.

I don't know what to say about this one. I enjoyed the story intrigued me but I'm not convinced on the romance yet. 

I said when I was reading the previous novella that it had convinced me Catalina was a strong enough character to carry her own story and she was. I really like her character, she's quieter and naturally leans to being alone given the nature of her powers. She is smart and logical and I really liked her. I enjoyed reading her as the main character and seeing how she differs from Nevada. I loved her especially when she took the time to rescue a stray dog while running for her life. My kind of woman.

It really was the romance between Catalina and Alessandro which let this down a bit. I wasn't convinced by it. I felt like I was told about the spark and chemistry between but was never fully convinced by it. I didn't understand why. When Rogan was introduced to Nevada I was convinced even though it felt sudden but I most definitely wasn't here. Alessandro seemed like he was fun... but he also felt flat. I don't know what it was and here's hoping the next book sways me on this romance. I think part of the issue was we met Catalina in previous books she may have been young but you got a feel for her but Alessandro was a tiny cameo and he had no personality when introduced so we're learning all about him here. I am interested to see where this series is going hopefully it's good.

I did love the secondary characters in this. This series has always had a strong cast of secondary characters with interesting back stories so I loved seeing more of them here.

Becky

danielle bush

❤❤❤LOVED IT!!!.❤❤❤
I CANT WAIT TO READ MORE ABOUT ALLESANDRO AND CATALINA.. I AM SO EXCITED FOR MORE HIDDEN LEGACY!!!!

Totally Addicted to Reading

Oh my, this book was an absolute delight. I went in with high expectations and it did not disappoint. Putting this book down proved a difficult task. It was exciting, suspenseful, action packed and magical. If you are looking for a story that will transport you into a world where the impossible becomes possible, then Sapphire Flames is the book for you.

Sapphire Flames is the fourth book in the Hidden Legacy series and part one of the Catalina Baylor Trilogy. I first met Catalina in the previous Installments and I found her to be an intriguing character. After reading Diamond Fire, I wanted to see more of her in action. So learning that this would be her story was a treat.

Strong, independent, selfless, determined and brave. She epitomized all these traits, which were fitting being that she was head of the House of Baylor. She handled herself well and proved to be a worthy adversary. Catalina showed significant growth since her appearance Wildfire.

Alessandro, an Italian count and a Prime who had an air of mystery around him. The man is fine, so I understood why Catalina was smitten with him. I loved how the authors highlighted both his fun and serious sides. He may have appeared conceited, but this was not the case. There are so many layers to him and I cannot wait to peel each one away.

The chemistry between them sizzled. They made a great team professionally and romantically. Although there was a hint of romance, it was not an integral part of the plot. The focus was on solving a crime and putting an end to a network of assassins.

I enjoyed the banter and snark between the characters. There were a few scenes, that had me laughing aloud, at some rather inconvenient times, but I was having too much fun to care.

Conclusion/Recommendation
I was sad to see Sapphire Flamesend, as I am eager to know what is in store for this awesome couple.  I recommend this book to fans of urban fantasy. It can work as a standalone as the authors provides sufficient background information to allow readers new to the series to understand the world and the intricacies of the Baylor family. However, I would recommend starting from the beginning as the series is downright amazing.

Jessica Nottingham

Ah, friends. It’s been so long since I’ve written my last review so please forgive me while I pretty much just gush over this book. If you’ve been here for any length of time, you’ll know that Ilona Andrews is one of my favorite authors. I’ve devoured their books one by one, cried a lot, laughed a ton, and basically just been impatient waiting for whatever comes next. When I found out that Sapphire Flames would be from Catalina’s point of view, I was ecstatic! While I loved Nevada so much, I wanted to see how the life that they built for themselves affected the other members of her family. To say that I was excited for this is probably an understatement.

Now, I will admit that it took a minute for me to get used to our new narrator. Andrews’ fans know that Renee Raudman brings quite a life to most of the characters in these stories. Emily Raskin was absolutely fantastic though and, after a chapter or two, I was right into the story. She brings Catalina’s character to life perfectly. A young woman who is in charge without really wanting to be. A sister who wants to protect her family. A person adrift in a sea of powerful people who want to see her fail. Catalina stole my heart, and I’m not even upset about it.

True to form, the plot of this story flew straight from setting things up into full on panic mode. The Baylor family isn’t known for getting any down time, and that’s very true in this story as well. I won’t lie, their family dynamic has always been one of my favorite parts of this series. There is so much love mixed in with all the insanity, occasional terror, and humor. My favorite addition this time around? Oh, it was Alessandro thrown into the mix. No spoilers, I promise. Just know that his banter with this family is wonderful, and I want more of it as soon as possible.

Oh, friends. I laughed, I teared up, I literally shouted “NO” at this audio book more than once. If you’ve been following along with the Hidden Legacy novels, you’ll absolutely want to pick this one up. The ending made me a little bit pouty, but it’s also quite perfect to continue this series. So, once again, I’ll be waiting impatiently for the next book to make it into my hands.

Lacey

An absolutely FANTASTIC follow-up to the first three Hidden Legacy books. Catalina and Alessandro are now up there with Nevada and Rogan for me. I loved learning more about these two characters and their powers, and can't wait for more of them. Catalina is an impressive heroine and the chemistry between her and Alessandro is perfection. I loved being back in this epic world and am so ready for the next book!

Full review to come!

Thanks to the publisher for generously providing me an ARC to review.

Lauren Sullivan &
Sapphire Flames by Ilona Andrews

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